Texas church shooting increases church security awareness in Amarillo

Prayers for the victims of the Sutherland Springs Church shooting to help ease heartache, may also help church members' peace of mind at Amarillo's St. John Baptist Church.

"And Lord we come now, recognizing that tragedy always strikes unexpectedly," Senior Pastor of Amarillo's St. John Baptist Church, Anthony Harris said, as he lead a group prayer with church members. "While the pain is real Lord, we know that there's a purpose, and a reason for all that you do."

"I believe in Jesus Christ, and I believe that he's in control of everything," 45-year St. John Baptist church member, Delores Adams said.

Delores says she can hardly imagine what an active-shooter situation in her place of worship would be like.

"We walk out our door every day, and we can't see the future," Adams said.

Yet she won't let the recent massacre scare her.

"I'm not afraid to come to worship, I'll come to worship anytime the church is open," Adams said.

Harris says three years ago after the Charleston Church shooting, is when they first brought in security. Now there's more to come.

"We have individuals in the past that are inside of the building, and we've never had anyone actively patrolling the exterior of the building," Harris said. "I think it's incumbent upon us to think about the exterior of the building."

Harris says they'll work to get evacuation advice from Law Enforcement too.

"With all of the uncertainty of what's going on in the Country today, we're just going to take extra precautions and measures going forward," Harris said.

"We just need to pray that a calmness and a peace can come over us in whatever it is, and that we look to something higher than ourselves," Adams said.

As Harris brings the prayer for Sutherland Springs Church to a close, he ends it traditionally "In your son's Jesus name we pray, amen." And the group of church members praying along echo, "Amen."